Puff by the wondrous Wondriska employs a common theme in children's books: a neglected object/toy/character/animal is called to duty when the chips are down. In this case, an antiquated steam engine, vs. a defective circus train in a snowstorm.

At first read the story may not be as moving as Maira Kalman's Fireboat or as universal as Robert L. May's Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer or even Walsh and Seibold'sOlive, the Other Reindeer but the telling of this tale is in the graphics. Noted Professor of Graphic Arts, Shahn Bushmiller Bass states, "Graphics, an important and powerful form of storytelling in juvenile fiction, chapbooks, primers, etc., are quite often neglected and or misunderstood not only by the reading public at large but by the academia rank and file as well." We are not sure what that means. All we know is Puff has nice graphics.

WHY DO WE RECOMMEND THIS BOOK? Graphics.

WHAT SHOULD READERS LOOK FOR? Graphics.

WHAT DOES THIS BOOK TEACH? Graphics.

WHO WILL LIKE THIS BOOK? Children. And graphic designers. And children of graphic designers.

Why is it the most innovative of children's books are always the first to go out of print? All of Mr. Wondriska's wonderful books are unavailable.

Ever wonder what it would be like if Jan Svankmajer made a children's book? No? Never? Well, we do. All the time. So imagine our excitement when our pals over at Greasy Kid Stuff turned us onto Graham Rawle's twisted take on The Wizard of Oz.

This book is big and heavy too. We didn't have a scale handy but we'd guess it's a good 10 or 30 pounds easy. If you dropped it on a witch? You could kill her.

The stories are fine but the reason to pore over this Mouse series of books is the artwork of Ralph Steadman, influential gonzo artist and noted pirate.

His old pal, Hunter S. Thompson (always a favorite with the younger set) makes a couple of cameos...

Not since Jackson Pollock has an artist done so much for the splatter, the smudge, the inkdrop. A few years ago Mr. Steadman signed our copy of Sigmund Freud. It's hard to tell where the printed book ends and his inscription begins. . .

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Looking for books about teddy bears or rainbows or feelings? You’re at the wrong place. Here we celebrate the offbeat, the abstract, the unusual, the surreal, the macabre, the inappropriate, the subversive and the funky.